Year One
by Aaden
Summary: Beginning of novel-length fics about an original character going to school at Hogwarts...Remember Ambrosine from Carnal Desires? Yeah, her. Why she is how she is. Co-starring Lucius...how and why did he get to be so mean? The secrets to everyone's past...
1. Chapter One

. + . Author . . . Aaden  
. + . Date Written . . . June-July 2003  
. + . Rating . . . PG (in later chapters, etc, rating may change)  
. + . Note . . . Alright, I guess I should explain what this is. This is the only time I'm going to explain this, as there is SO much more to come, I'm not going to type it up five million times. I've created an original character named Ambrosine Emerson. I've decided to do with her what JKR did with Harry.make a series of 7 books dedicated to them and about, basically, their years at Hoggy warts. Yeah, long term project, ne? Well, this project is under construction.if you want me to write faster, please review. Plus, if you review, I'll love you forever. Promise. . . + . Claimer . . . Ambrosine Emerson is mine (as are many other characters in this piece). They're my characters and mine alone, as is all of the content of this little story. All words and phrases are mine, and the ideas in it, so please, please be nice and don't steal any of it. You may write a fanpiece including Ambrosine, but please CONTACT ME before you do so, since my email isn't listed, write your email in your review so I can get back to you.  
. + . Disclaimer . . . Sadly, Remus Lupin and that whole world don't belong to me...*sobs* and nor does Hogwarts...but it does belong to J.K. Rowling.  
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. . . . . . . . . . . . Y e a r . O n e   
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. . . . . . c h a p t e r . o n e  
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. . . . b e g i n  
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Ambrosine Emerson looked up at the large castle that was to be the place of schooling for the next seven years of her life. The first year student's eyes shone a bright, optimistic cobalt blue; a rare sight to see…little Ambrosine did not get happy about many things, that was for sure. But leaving home was a good thing, in her eyes…though her parents were relatively good to her (when they were actually around), what she really wanted was to come to school. Ever since she was a little girl, she'd heard her parents speaking about Hogwarts…and it was so much nicer, so much larger than she could have ever imagined. The mere sight of the castle was magnificent, and to her it looked like something out of her fairy-tale novels. In the dark night, the only illumination that the enormous castle had was the moon, which appeared to be waxing. Through the many ancient, rectangular windows shone a warm, welcoming light, which added to Ambrosine's newfound optimism. She could almost hear all of the cheerful voices inside the castle; the demeanor of the school in general was positive and warm.  
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"Emerson, hurry up." A tall girl nudged her, and Ambrosine was broken out of the trance that she herself was not even aware that she was in. She noticed that she had just stopped walking altogether…her and all of the other first years were being led into the school, and she had just stopped walking, the castle being so impressive to her that she just couldn't help but stop to admire it.   
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"Ehm, right." Ambrosine said after realizing what had happened. She jogged to keep up with the group. After all, she didn't want to get lost on her first day at school…and if she didn't pay attention, that was far more than likely to happen.   
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"'Ey, watch it." Came a rough, masculine voice.  
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"…I…" Ambrosine yelped softly as she was knocked to the ground, the result of her frail body meeting the hard surface being a loud thump. She watched the boy who'd she had suspected had walked into her walk away. He was a large boy, certainly at least a foot taller than her, and she found it hard to believe that he was her age. "I…I'm sorry…" she whispered.  
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'Well, best not let it get you down…' Ambrosine thought to herself, rising to her feet. She was a few meters behind everyone else, now, and would have to run to catch up. As she put the pressure on her left foot, taking a step forward, she winced with pain, the sharp throbbing in her ankle, the result of her fall, moving up throughout her body. She'd just have to deal with it and keep walking…she could go to the Hospital Wing once she was sorted and everyone else had headed to his or her common rooms. The pain didn't fade.  
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Ambrosine walked nervously into the Great Hall, behind all of the other first years. Wow…the sight certainly was magnificent, even more so than she could ever have imagined. There were four long rectangular tables, apparently made of oak or likewise…each with a large banner hanging high above it. It was pretty obvious that each table was home to students of a particular house…as her father had reminded her many times, there were four houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was also pretty obvious to sort out which house was sitting at which table, due to the colors on the students' ties and uniforms, as well as how the seated students acted. Magnificent floating chandeliers illuminated the tables, and the vast night sky was visible through the ceiling, though that did not darken up the enormous room at all.   
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"Wow…" Ambrosine gasped softly at the mere sight of it.  
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"Close your mouth." A girl with waist-length auburn hair said, frowning up at Ambrosine. "It's not that amazing. You must come from a low-class family…"  
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Ambrosine instantly closed her mouth. She hadn't even realized that it was open, or that she was standing there gaping in awe at the display of celestial bodies…right through the ceiling of a large castle, no less. She'd seen pictures in books and stories from her parents, but the things she had seen and heard did not do the real thing justice.   
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"First years, this way, please don't dawdle!" Came their guide, a middle-aged woman's voice from the front of the large group of first years. Ambrosine limped quickly to catch up with the rest of the group, the affliction in her ankle still throbbing with pain. She did her best to catch up.  
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'After this, you can go to the infirmary. It's not going to last much longer, and then the pain will stop.'  
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"Alright, first years, please stand until your name is called…after the sorting hat tells you which house you're in, please move to that table with your new housemates. Dinner will commence after all new students are sorted." The woman croaked, though it was obvious that she was trying to sound at least a little pleasant. Ambrosine had not caught her name, and to be truthful she didn't really care to know; the pain shooting up from her ankle each time she put pressure on it constantly shifted her train of thought to other things.  
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Ambrosine leaned to the side and stood on her toes to try and see this 'sorting hat'. Once the old woman moved aside, the tattered hat was revealed. She didn't think it very pretty at all, that was for sure…it was old and patched, but it was a legend of Hogwarts, one even someone of her age had heard about from her parents. This rag was the thing that would change her fortune for better or worse. It made her uneasy that an inanimate object had her Hogwarts career in its nonexistent hands, free to play with it as it willed. Well than, she'd better make a good impression. No rude thoughts, no bad thoughts…it wasn't right to judge things by how they looked. Perhaps this sorting hat truly was a noble little fellow, and treated students fairly. Ah, yes…that was what her father had said… "The sorting hat will put you where you belong. Slytherin, of course! Just like the rest of our family. Make me proud, Rose…" His words, more threatening than encouraging, echoed in her head, and she had to shake her head to stop his voice from ringing in her ears.   
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She tried to balance on one foot to stop the all too familiar ache from again shooting throughout her body. It was kind of working, when she concentrated. 'All right…I'll just have to keep doing this for a little longer, until I'm sorted. After everyone's finished I'll ask a teacher to escort me to the hospital wing and everything will be fine after that.' Her balancing act was interrupted by a loud cough behind her, a loud croup originating in the bottom of the throat. Again in pain, Ambrosine reached into the pocket of her cloak, sure she had a tissue in there somewhere. Aha, there it was. Her hand had found it after a few minutes of searching, and she turned around, blue eyes meeting the boy who had emitted the cough. He was a pale, sickly looking boy, with wispy light brown hair and amber eyes.   
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"…I…uhm…bless you." As soon as Ambrosine whispered that to the boy, she was sure that it had sounded stupid. To her, it sounded like she'd said she was blessing him, and that surely sounded at least a little bit arrogant.   
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When he coughed again, she was reminded of the reason that she had turned around in the first place.  
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"Adams, Michelle!" The old woman shouted, voice raspy.   
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Ambrosine handed the amber-eyed boy a few tissues.  
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"…For your cough." She whispered. But then it struck her that one probably wouldn't need tissues for a cough, but, rather, a losenger.  
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A short, mature looking girl with long, sleek brown hair walked up to the stool that the sorting hat sat upon. Ambrosine glanced at her from the corner of her eye, only to see that it was the girl who had politely told her to please shut her mouth just a few minutes back.. She didn't want to be in whatever house that girl got sorted into, that was for sure…  
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He looked at her with a quizzical expression on his face, and she'd realized that she'd embarrassed herself. Ambrosine's cheeks felt a little hot…what else could go wrong? She stuffed her other hand into her pocket and fished around for a cough drop. Ah, success! She pulled it out of her pocket and placed it atop the tissues and handed it to the boy, who appeared, if it was possible, to get sicker and sicker by the minute.   
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"…Thanks." The boy said, his voice a soft whisper. He barely managed a smile before breaking out into a coughing fit again. Their host shot him the look of death.  
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Ambrosine stayed silent, feeling a little responsible for the scolding that he'd received.  
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"Slytherin!"  
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"Black, Narcissa!" Croaked the woman. She was only on the letter 'B', and already her voice was getting hoarse.  
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A tall, slim girl with light blonde hair walked up to the sorting hat, tossing her hair behind her shoulder elaborately as she did so. She seemed slightly arrogant, but there was no doubt in Ambrosine's mind that she was very pretty…and she supposed that pretty people did have the right to be at least a little arrogant…right?  
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"Slytherin!" Shouted the sorting hat, and the girl whom she knew now as Narcissa hopped off of the stool and walked over to the Slytherin table to be greeted by a loud round of applause.  
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The woman cleared her throat and glared at the Slytherins to settle down.   
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"Black, Sirius!"  
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The boy who answered to this name looked nothing like the girl who had sat on the stool prior to him. Ambrosine supposed that they could be related, somehow…though they looked like complete opposites of each other. Narcissa's manner was elegant if not arrogant, but Sirius seemed a little more laid back…though he did strike her, even at this young age, as a bit of a ladies man, with the way he sat, the smirk on his face. His hair was dark, much the opposite of Narcissa's, and fell into his face in a kind of sloppy perfection. It looked better like that than if he'd decided to brush it, Ambrosine thought…they must be related. They were both blessed with good looks…with that, Ambrosine decided that she thought too much. But then, thinking was getting her mind off of the pain that was currently surging through her leg.  
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"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat boomed. Well, that seemed easy.  
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Sirius' smirk only widened as he sauntered over to the Gryffindor table, hands in his pockets.  
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"Cerdelia, Alicia!"  
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"Slytherin!"  
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"Collins, Ryan!"   
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"Ravenclaw!"  
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"Draven, Danielle!"  
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"Hufflepuff!"  
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"Emerson, Ambrosine!"  
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Ambrosine blinked. Did she just hear her name? She took a step forward, looking at the sorting hat nervously. She swallowed. It felt like she had a huge lump in her throat.  
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"MISS EMERSON! We don't have all night! Hurry it up!"  
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Ambrosine nodded quickly and walked up to the stool, sitting upon it and placing the tattered hat upon her blond-haired head.   
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'Ah...an Emerson…' Came the dreamy-sounding voice of the sorting hat. 'What house should we put a mind like yours in, eh?'  
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'Please...please, put me in Slytherin…'  
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'Slytherin? You must be kidding me, child. Your manner is nothing like that of the ones in that house, or the ones in your family…though, it is a…tradition…to be in Slytherin, isn't it?'  
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Ambrosine nodded.  
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'It is…just, please put me in that house…'  
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'You would do much better in Ravenclaw, my dear, with a mind like yours…'  
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'No…Slytherin, please…' She pleaded.  
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But the hat continued.  
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'Or even in Hufflepuff…you certainly act like a Hufflepuff, dear girl. You'd make tons of friends in Hufflepuff…'  
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'My father will kill me if I'm not in Slytherin. Please, please, please…just leave me in Slytherin.'  
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'But you won't do well in Slytherin…'  
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'But I'll be disowned…'  
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'No you won't.'  
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'Yes I will.'  
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'No you won't.'  
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'Yes I will.'  
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'No you won't.  
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'Yes I will!'  
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The hat seemed to emit a sigh, admitting defeat.  
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"…Slytherin." The hat did seem a little less enthusiastic about its choice with Ambrosine than it did with the others.  
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Ambrosine released a sigh of relief…phew. She wasn't going to be tossed out of her household, after all…her parents would still accept her as their daughter, for the moment. She stood up and set the hat down on its stool, and gratefully, yet painfully, made her way over to the Slytherin tables. The applause that she received certainly wasn't a large one, definitely not as large as Michelle's or Narcissa's.  
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"…I…uhm…would you mind if I sit here?" She whispered to Narcissa, who had a few empty feet of bench bare next to her.  
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Narcissa glanced to Ambrosine and shook her head.  
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"…Thanks…" Ambrosine sat down, continuing to watch the rest of the sorting.  
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"Evans, Lily!"  
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A girl with slightly tanned skin and just below shoulder-length russet hair that gave the slight impression that she was Irish, though by the name Ambrosine could tell that she was not stepped up to the bench upon which the sorting hat sat. She seemed nice, Ambrosine thought…Lily didn't seem greedy or selfish or pompous at all.  
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"Gryffindor!"  
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Of course, figures. Someone who seemed nice couldn't be sorted into Slytherin…that was where all the cruel people went, wasn't it…  
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Ambrosine watched intently as the sorting commenced. For some reason, she found observing people to be interesting…and this was no different. Each house attained more members, and the empty spots on the Slytherin benches were waning, as were the vacant seats on the other houses' benches.   
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"Lupin, Remus!"   
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Lupin. Hm, that was an unusual surname.  
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None other than the pale, coughing boy that was behind her stepped up to the sorting hat. He looked like he was having a little bit of trouble standing, even, and his face was so pallid that he looked as though he were going to collapse at any moment. He seemed to be sucking on something, though, swishing around something with his tongue. And his coughing stopped. Well, that was good.  
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"Gryffindor."  
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"Malfoy, Lucius!"  
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The boy who approached reminded Ambrosine strongly of Narcissa. He had a pale complexion, though not as pale as Remus', and light blond hair that he tied back in a ponytail, giving him a bit of a colonial kind of look. His clothes were nice, too, recently purchased shoes shone under the candlelight, teeth were perfectly straight and white…and Ambrosine noticed that his nails were trimmed. He looked as though he came from a rich family…  
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"Slytherin!" The sorting hat only had to wait a few minutes before shouting, though its reply to him did not sound so hesitant. More sure of itself, the hat was, or so it seemed…  
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Lucius smirked and walked over to the Slytherin table, taking a seat across from Ambrosine. She avoided making eye contact…people like that intimidated her. But then, nearly everything intimidated Ambrosine, so, nothing special there.  
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"McIntosh, Isiah!"  
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"Ravenclaw!"  
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"Montague, Miriam!"  
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"Hufflepuff!"  
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"Nelson, Patrick!"  
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"Gryffindor!"  
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"Parré, Etienne!"  
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"Ravenclaw!"  
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"Pettigrew, Peter!"  
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The boy who walked up didn't seem to be very sure of himself, in Ambrosine's opinion…but then, she hadn't been too sure of herself either…and it wasn't fair to judge. He just looked like a Hufflepuff, though, the sheepish yet nervous smile that rested on his pudgy face, and Ambrosine was surprised when the sorting hat shouted…  
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"Gryffindor!"  
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"Porter, Norman!"  
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"Hufflepuff!"  
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"Potter, James!"  
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This one reminded Ambrosine just a little bit of the Black boy, mostly because of his dark, messy hair…though she did not deny that Black's did make him look a little more appealing, the way it was kept. The sorting hat barely got the chance to touch Potter's head before it screamed the house that he was sorted into.  
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"Gryffindor!"  
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Ambrosine rubbed her temples. She was getting tired…the newly accepted Slytherin first year hadn't had any sleep last night, having Hogwarts on her mind. The poor girl had been terrified into not sleeping because she was so nervous…and now her ankle was seriously throbbing with pain. The sorting was only half over, and it felt like it had been commencing for nearly forty-five minutes already. To be truthful, she didn't know whether or not she would be able to last for another forty-five.   
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It would have been rude, in Ambrosine's eyes, to just leave in the middle of the sorting…and disrespectful to whomever it was who was being sorted, too. But she just couldn't stand the pain in her ankle…it was far too much to bear now. She stood up, to the best of her ability, and stepped over the bench upon which she had been sitting, trying not to make any noise.   
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"Excuse me, Sir." Ambrosine whispered to the man whom she assumed was the head of her house. He was a thin man, average in height, clad all in black, skin pale. His dark brown hair was tied back with a single ribbon, also black in color. The man's dark, accusing eyes darted to Ambrosine…he had, apparently, not expected his silence to be interrupted, even though the students of his house were chattering silently right underneath his nose. Ambrosine suddenly felt a rush of fear sweep over her, and she had immediately wished that she had continued to stay seated. Oh well, it was a bit late for that…  
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"…I…I was wondering if…" Ambrosine swallowed apprehensively. "…If you could, perhaps…I-if it's not too much trouble…show me where the hospital wing is. I…" She swallowed again, and glanced away before looking back at the man. His eyes…she was terrified each time she looked into his eyes. "…I…I think that I sprained my ankle."  
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"You can wait until the sorting is over." He said monotonously, his face expressionless as he glanced back at the sorting hat, which had just placed a boy with greasy black hair into Slytherin house.   
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Ambrosine sighed; admitting defeat she walked back to the table of Slytherins, and slid back into where she had been sitting before to endure the rest of the sorting. The students seated next to her were certainly talkative…not being as respectful as Ambrosine would have hoped. All she really wanted was peace and quiet, and the mindless chatter was beginning to give her a headache. What the first year really wanted to do was slump down over the table, lie with her head resting in her arms, eyes closed, comfortably resting. She didn't give into that, though, much to her discomfort…and she actually sat through the whole sorting.  
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After it had finished, Ambrosine perked up slightly, sitting up in her chair, waiting for someone to say 'All right, this way to your dormitories.' But it never came.   
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Instead, a raspy cough filled the large dining hall, and suddenly it was deadly quiet. One would have been able to hear a pin drop, of this there was no doubt. Her eyes shot to what acted as the front of the great hall, being adorned with a long, rectangular table, of which the teachers and headmaster of Hogwarts were seated. Ambrosine suspected the elderly, ancient looking man in the center was the headmaster. He must have been the one to cough, she thought, or clear his throat, if that had been what he had attempted.   
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"I welcome you again to what I hope will be another fun, knowledge seeking filled year at Hogwarts. To the first years who do not yet know me, I am Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of this school."  
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So that was who he was…Ambrosine mentally scolded herself for being so stupid. Dumbledore was legend, he was. Wizards the world over had heard of Albus Dumbledore…and yet here she was, sitting in his midst, without a clue. But then…that meant that he was going to give a speech, as well…the annual welcoming speech to Hogwarts that she had heard of numerous times from her mother, given by that 'horrible Dumbledore fellow'. That meant she would probably have to sit tight for another half hour or so…when did it end? Any other day would have been fine, any other day she would have gladly hung upon every single word of the white-bearded wizard's speech…but not today. Today was a bad day. Ambrosine's head was aching with pain, and the throbbing feeling in her ankle had spread up her whole left leg, making it impossible to sit without feeling absolutely terrible. The fact that she did, despite her temporary ignorance, respect Dumbledore—apparently the other Slytherins begged to differ, she noticed, as they began to mutter, breaking the silence—and did, really, want to listen to what he had to say. But right now the headmaster deserved more respect, more attention than she could offer, and that added to her pile of problems.   
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Dumbledore droned on and on, preaching about the school, his words becoming muddled in Ambrosine's head. What had he just said about school grounds…never go where? The prefects will lead you into the forbidden forest…  
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What?   
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Realizing what she had just thought that Dumbledore had said, she snapped out of her foggy-eyed trance and decided to pay attention.  
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"You heard the headmaster!" Said the woman, spectacles low down on her pointed nose. "After the first feast of the school year, first years will be escorted by their house prefects to their common rooms. And do not, under any circumstances, go into the forbidden forest and other areas that are off-limits unless accompanied by a professor."   
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As if by magic, many slabs of ham and beef instantly appeared on the students' smooth china plates, a mountain of bread rolls suddenly filling up the empty glass bowls that sat near the center of the table, many sweets like lollipops and chocolate suddenly appearing on the sides of the plates.   
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Ambrosine glanced to her slightly tinted glass, which looked to be more like a transparent yellow goblet than a wine glass, or perhaps a fusion of the two. Instantly it filled with what appeared to be cider, and that was a welcome sight to the Slytherin first year. She picked up the glass and raised it to her lips, gulping down a generous amount of the liquid. It was warm, and it did little to ease her headache, though little was certainly welcomed. Ambrosine's appetite was nonexistent, and she sat at the table she just observed everybody else as they ate, chewing away at the food sloppily. She averted her gaze to the wooden table that her elbows were rested on, it being the only item of interest, at the moment. Suddenly the crevices in the old wood became oddly interesting.  
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"Hey, Emerson."  
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Ambrosine's head shot up, a nervous look on her face. Why would anyone want to talk to her?  
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"…Y-yeah?"  
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"What's wrong with your hair?" The girl said, raising her pale, bony hand to her own long light blond hair. It was the girl that Ambrosine knew to be Narcissa Black…she had actually been awake that part of the sorting ceremony.  
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Ah, of course. To insult her.  
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Ambrosine sighed. Well, she hadn't expected to be insulted for her hair this early on, but it figured, in a way. Her hair was a dirty blonde color, naturally, but when she was younger she wanted to have black hair, just like her favorite singer. So, the curious six-year-old wandered into her mother's room and used her wand to put a glamour-kind of spell on herself, and since she had done it incorrectly, she'd been unable to, since then, stop the tips of her hair from turning a dark grayish-black color, no matter how much effort she put into it. Ambrosine herself didn't mind her hair…even though it made her stand out far more than she would have liked. Ambrosine would have chopped her hair off right then if it wouldn't grow back right afterwards…she felt about two feet tall, if that.  
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She said nothing.  
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"It's got…black…things…at the ends. It looks like your hair got stuck in the fire and got burned."  
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Narcissa had apparently made a lot of friends already…and all of them laughed riotously.  
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"I…" Ambrosine swallowed. "…I…It's natural…"   
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"You have naturally deformed hair?"  
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This caused another uproar of laughter.  
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"…I…uhm….yeah." Ambrosine said meekly, eyes drifting down to the wooden table again. It was a nice, familiar sight, the wood.  
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"Look at me when I'm speaking to you." Narcissa snapped. "You were the one that the sorting hat was having trouble sorting, weren't you…"  
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Ambrosine nodded slightly, wishing that the prefects would just lead them to their common rooms already.  
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"What house did it want to put you in? Gryffindor? Or maybe Hufflepuff, with the way you're acting. Not a real Slytherin, are you?"  
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"…I'm a Slytherin…" Ambrosine whispered.  
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"A horrible one, that's for sure. Where's your pride? Are you even a pureblood?"  
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By now most of the Slytherin table's eyes were on Ambrosine, and she could recognize the intimidating laugh of Michelle Adams.  
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'Just don't say anything…don't show them that they're hurting your feelings…sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me…sticks and stones may break my bones…'  
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"You're not, are you? A mudblood, perhaps?"  
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'…But words will never hurt me…sticks…'  
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"We have a muggle child at our table!"  
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'…And stones may break my bones…'  
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"You're not fit to be in Slytherin house."  
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'…But words will never hurt me…sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me…'  
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Ambrosine didn't fight back, she didn't argue back. She thought that if she just stayed quiet, maybe they'd leave her alone. She didn't even bother to say that she was a pureblood…her father had reminded her of that fact so many times that it remained engraved in her head, and most likely would still be there for the whole of her life, never to be eroded.   
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"We're going to have fun with this one, girls…"   
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Narcissa's friends all laughed shrilly, and Ambrosine found herself wondering why girls laughed like that. Why were they so cruel to her? What did she do to them?  
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'Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me…'  
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"Too stupid to even respond when I talk to you?"  
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'Words will never hurt me…'  
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"Heh, looks like the Hufflepuff's dumb, as well! The Hufflepuff halfblood!"  
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'Words will never hurt me…'  
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It sounded like everyone at the table was laughing at her.  
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Ambrosine raised her relatively pale hands to her ears, trying to make the sound go away. 'Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me…'  
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Proceeding what seemed to be forever, the insults seemed to stop. Ambrosine looked up, just slightly, nervously, and started to slowly remove her hands from her ears. It appeared that they had found another target, for now. She sighed softly, relieved…but made sure that her sigh was not so loud that their attention would shoot back to her. She was safe.  
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After everyone—or, nearly everyone…Ambrosine heard a few students still slurping away greedily at their cider and plump, juicy meat—was finished nourishing themselves, the seventh year prefects stood up at the end of each table and strode down to the other end, where the first years were seated, to escort them down to the common rooms. The prefects, Slytherin prefects in particular, didn't appear too enthusiastic about the job, but knew it had to be done, nonetheless. Plus, fresh meat…that was always good, wasn't it? Ambrosine was pretty sure that that was what was going through their minds…  
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Ambrosine mentally compared it to a miniature stampede, everyone dashing through the doors at once to cause somewhat of a traffic jam. She had already declared defeat. There was no way that she could make it through the hustling, bustling crowds of eager students, and decided that it would be better to bring up the tail of her bunch. She did need to find the hospital wing, as well…Perhaps whoever decided to show her where it was would also lead her back to the Slytherin dorms. That would sure be handy. Ambrosine moved to stand up and was once again reminded of the piercing pain in her ankle as it shot up throughout her body. It looked like the cider had really done more to ebb the pain than she had initially thought.  
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There was now no sign of the headmaster, or of the old spectacled woman. Ambrosine sighed, a little disappointed…but hey, at least now she wouldn't get lost on her way back to the Slytherin common room. If she could make it there without falling, that was.   
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She put one foot forward, then the other, her height falling by a few inches as she put pressure upon her left foot. Great, now she looked like a crippled hunchback…but that thought was out of her mind within a few seconds, her new focus being to actually walk without toppling over. It was a challenge, that was for sure, and she had to hold out her left arm, fingers brushing the cold stone wall for balance. It was difficult, but within time she found herself barely caught up with the rest of the Slytherin first years as they were led out of the great hall.  
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Well, caught up with most of the Slytherins, at least. A boy, rather tall for a first year, with pale skin and light blonde hair tied back in an early American manner trailed behind the rest of the pack, Ambrosine included. He didn't seem to need to look up, something that made it seem as though he knew the school like the back of his palm, and could simply walk around the school with his eyes downcast on the floor as they were now, and not bang into any walls…successfully arriving at the destination where he had hoped to go. His hands were in his pockets, and he was listlessly walking in the direction of the Slytherin dungeons, not seeming too jubilant about it.   
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For the first time that night Ambrosine felt the palpable sensation that someone was watching her, though she was unable to hear footsteps echoing her own. That thought made her uncomfortable, and by this she was driven to stand upright, straightening her back, her chin up. She took two regularly paced steps forward, wincing only slightly as she did this. She would be able to bear the pain, she thought…and she didn't want whoever was following her to make fun of her. She hoped it wasn't one of Narcissa's friends, sticking behind to poke fun and then report to their leader with news of the poor girl's faults. Hopefully, though, if she could at least walk properly…the person who was following her would grow bored with not finding anything to criticize. The throbbing pain in her ankle was getting worse as her gait improved.  
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He raised his eyes from the ground and placed them on Ambrosine's back, then trailing down to her legs. There was something a little funny about the way she was walking. He furrowed his brow, a quizzical yet curious and somewhat amused expression crossing his pale features. His eyes searched her probingly, in a way that would make any girl uncomfortable, especially considering the intensity of his gray eyes.  
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"You all right?" Came a surprisingly kind voice, surprisingly close to her.   
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"…I-I-I-I'm fine." Ambrosine stuttered nervously, eyes ahead, not daring to look at him. He was probably mocking her. She felt her skin flush, grow hot with little embarrassed prickles, and she took a few steps forward, the pain in her ankle deathly now...though her stride remained perfectly poised.  
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"Do you want a hand?" He asked, peering at her slightly before glancing ahead to the rest of the group who were quickly leaving them behind without so much as a second thought. "I know where the common room is myself. We could go at your pace. You sure you're all right?" His voice seemed doubtful.   
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Ambrosine nodded, taking another step forward. Why did he care if she was all right, anyway? Using Narcissa as a model, the Slytherins wouldn't care about what happened to her, nor would they ask if she was all right. The Gryffindors had a rivalry with the Slytherins, so no Gryffindor would come to help her. Was he a Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, perhaps? But if so, why was he walking in the direction of the dungeons…the location of the Slytherin common room? It didn't make much sense to her, and tons of ideas, thoughts, and various explanations swirled inside her head. As her recently shined shoe touched the ground she slipped and fell face forward, landing flat on her stomach. A loud bang followed contact. Ambrosine was thankful that she hadn't eaten anything, however…it was likely that it would have come back up if she had. The thump had caused some of the Slytherins ahead of her to turn to see what, or who, was causing all of the racket.  
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"Keep up or you'll be sleeping on the floor tonight." Growled the seventh year that was leading the group of first years to the dungeons. He glanced back at her and kept walking, motioning for the rest of the assemblage to follow him.   
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"Come on." The boy said, glaring up at the seventh year before glancing down at Ambrosine with a soft, helpful smile plastered on his face. "The hospital wing's only a floor up. It'll only take a few minutes for Madam Pomfrey to get you all better." He held out a pale hand to assist her to her feet.   
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Ambrosine glanced to the side, meeting his hand with hers, blushing embarrassedly as their fingers touched. She wasn't used to conversing with humans, and she wasn't used to touching other humans. Sure, she liked to stroke the fur of amiable creatures such as cats, but humans were different. She avoided away from humans. Nonetheless, however, she allowed this boy to help her to her feet.   
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He reached out and gently wrapped an arm about her waist to keep her from falling, "Walk slowly. You can lean on me for whatever support you need." He said simply before starting forward.  
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An intense blush crept along Ambrosine's face, her pale skin now flushing a dark red. For someone who was not used to any human contact whatsoever, being touched there was pretty unwelcome. She felt a hot, tingly sensation sweep along her now tense skin, tense from being touched in a place that hadn't before been touched. She didn't like it. Ambrosine was a little thankful for the touchy-feely stranger who had decided to give her a hand…even though he made her feel awkward. She couldn't very well protest now, anyway…he had complete power over her, since she was crippled.   
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It didn't take long for the two to arrive, and though the stairs were clear down at the end of the hallway, apparently situated there by someone who wanted people to walk more than there was need to, they made good time.  
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The boy paused once they met the foot of the large staircase and bit his lip.   
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"All right." A sigh. "There's only one way to do this without you falling through the false step," He said, pulling Ambrosine up into his arms like she was a child…or, perhaps, his newly wed bride whom he was happily carrying over the threshold.   
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Ambrosine certainly would have protested the way he was holding her, his arm touching her upper legs in order to support her. Even so, she didn't like it, not one bit. Her skin was agitated by his touch, and only the throbbing ache in her ankle reminded her that she had to stay attached to him or suffer the consequences of being absolutely, positively alone, with nobody to help her. And, surprisingly, he seemed to know where he was going. That was a plus…she wouldn't get lost, and he would, hopefully…stick around to show her back to the Slytherin common room. Only upon being hoisted up into his arms did her eyes meet his, and realization struck her. He was a Slytherin…whose name, at the moment…she could not place.  
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He nodded to her before starting up the steps, having to jump over two of them without even setting a foot on the stair. "Bloody things, those stairs. Never understood why the false steps were there, an' Mum an' Dad won't tell."   
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As they reached the top of the stairs, he set her down gently, his grin only slight, though it was, obviously, there.  
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"We're almost there," He said before wrapping his arm about her waist again and started forward. "And there you'll have a bed to lay on. Won't have to worry about me making you nervous anymore," He said, chuckling and playfully tickling her side with his fingers even though he'd easily figured by her actions that being this close to him was making her uncomfortable. As he did this, Ambrosine's skin prickled at his touch, and leaned in the opposite direction of his fingers to try and escape their tickling, only to be met with his waist, only to be closer to him. Ambrosine frowned…he'd cornered her, apparently. Even though he was helping her…leading her to what she assumed—and hoped—was the hospital wing, he was making her uncomfortable…and she wanted it to stop. She wanted it to stop as soon as humanly possible.   
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Why did he continue to talk to her even though she remained silent? Perhaps talking to fill up the silence was his way of consoling himself, Ambrosine thought.  
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As they finally reached two large doors that guarded the hospital wing, the boy leaned against them to open them, allowing Ambrosine to enter if she wished.  
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There was a rattling and a groan from inside.  
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"Not already…it's the first day!"   
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He laughed and shook his head.  
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"Madam Pomfrey, I think it's a sprained ankle," He said, as soon as Ambrosine had managed to get inside the room, rushing in after her to guide her to one of the newly made hospital beds.   
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"Oh, Lucius, dear. Bring her over to one of the beds, ah, you're one step ahead of me." The plump witch cried upon seeing them, her voice noticeably less annoyed and more concerned now that she'd seen whom it was.   
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With his help, Ambrosine managed to get to the beds, and lay down.   
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"I'm going to try and find Professor Weiss and get our password. We're in the same house." Lucius said, looking to Madam Pomfrey with a friendly smile that one would not have thought possible of a Slytherin. "I'll be right back." With that, he skipped out of the hospital wing.  
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Madam Pomfrey laughed and shook her head, strolling over to Ambrosine's bedside, a smooth china teacup in hand.   
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"Here's some tea, dear. Drink up, it'll help you feel better." The Hogwarts healer sighed. "Lucius, a Slytherin. I don't believe it, but I guess it makes sense, with his father being so strict. Oh dear, I beg your pardon, I'm rambling." Madam Pomfrey looked to Ambrosine with a wry smile. She was always one for gossip, that was for sure.   
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Ambrosine just politely nodded, raising the fragile cup to her lips and slowly sipping the heated contents. Mmm…tea. The beverage started to act like the cider at dinner did, slowly helping her headache to disappear, keeping her body warm so the rhythmic throbbing pain in her ankle would slow down, if only in just a small amount.  
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"What happened, dear?"  
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"…S-s…" She swallowed. Take a deep breath… "Someone banged into me and I fell…" Ambrosine stuttered, voice soft and barely audible. The tea was soothing her pain…and she wondered how. It was just simple, every day English tea, wasn't it?   
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Madam Pomfrey nodded understandingly.   
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"Often happens when herding the first years." She said with a comforting smile. "Though I don't think I've seen someone with this swollen of an ankle, only on their first day here. Did you tell anyone that you'd fallen? Minerva…" The nurse corrected herself. "…Professor McGonagall would have fixed you up quickly if you'd said something. Ah, no worries…" Madam Pomfrey lightly tapped Ambrosine's ankle with her wand, and the swelling seemed to instantly go down, the pain almost completely gone.  
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"Thank you." Ambrosine said, sipping her Earl Gray.   
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"…So, dear, I'm guessing you're in the same house as Lucius. Slytherin?" Madam Pomfrey said, breaking the silence.  
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Ambrosine nodded, eyes on Madame Pomfrey, lips on the teacup.  
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"You seem just about as much of a Slytherin as he is. I'm willing to bet that none of the others stopped to see if you were all right or showed even the least bit of concern." The nurse just out of training shook her head sadly.  
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"T-they laughed." Ambrosine again sipped her tea, draining the smooth white cup of its contents. The liquid warmed her whole body, and she sighed. It was almost like taking a nice, hot bath…inhaling the steam so it warmed one's insides.  
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"As would be expected. Slytherins are normally very heartless." The nurse said, shaking her head. Well, that was wonderful to hear…if everybody in Slytherin house was like Narcissa…Ambrosine was going to have a horrible seven years of schooling at Hogwarts…but she reminded herself that the goal was to learn first, make friends second…and of course, to not be godforsaken by her own parents.   
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Lucius jogged into the hospital wing, panting. By the looks of it, he'd run down to the dungeons and back.   
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"Nimble toad…" He stammered, rubbing his left hand.  
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Madam Pomfrey sighed, "I'm going to have to take that paddle away from Matthew…He uses it far too much."  
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"Eh, it's all right. I got the password." Lucius said, a soft smile on his pale face.   
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Ambrosine couldn't help but wonder…why did he get hit in order to successfully fetch the password? He could have just stayed there, with the rest of Slytherin house, and left her to herself in the hospital wing. She really didn't understand how his mind worked, that was for sure…most everyone else was pretty simple to decipher. Most kids their age had their minds on toys and impressing their friends, making fun of the weak ones that wouldn't fight back. He was…well, there was something strange about him.  
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"Better?" Lucius nodded to Ambrosine.  
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"She'll be fine." Madam Pomfrey said, taking a few steps back to examine Ambrosine. "If that ankle of yours starts to hurt again, just come back up here. Tell a teacher, though, all right?" She smiled daintily and took the empty teacup from Ambrosine's bedside as the first year girl managed to stand up without being stricken with an immense amount of discomfort.  
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"You think you can walk?"  
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"I…yeah. I think so."   
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"D'you want me to walk with you, or do you wanna try and find it yourself?"  
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What was he, crazy?  
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"I'm going to get lost if I go on my own." Ambrosine said, voice gentle. "I'd like it if you could show me where the common room is."  
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"Thanks for bringing her, Lucius." Pomfrey said, her back to the two of them. She had moved to put the china teacup in the sink for rinsing.   
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"No prob," Lucius offered amiably.  
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"T-thank you, Madam."   
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"It's my job, dear. Just watch out for yourself!"  
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The two first years nodded and made their way out of the hospital wing, Ambrosine with her eyes on the floor, a grateful smile on her face.  
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"That stair, jump over it." Lucius said. "You'll sink right through if you step on it."  
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Ambrosine hopped over it, a bit surprised at her newfound flexibility.  
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"That's the way."   
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"…How do you know so much about this school already?"   
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"Mum." Lucius grinned. "She told me a lot of stuff to keep me from being the butt of any jokes."  
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She nodded. "You must have good parents."  
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At this, the ponytailed boy laughed.   
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"Good parents? Yeah, my mum, maybe…but Dad wanted to give me misinformation. He wants me to be laughed at…" A sigh.  
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Ambrosine frowned.  
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"Why?"  
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"He says that I need to be broken. I need to become a 'true Slytherin,'" Lucius said the last two words mockingly, showing obvious dislike for his father.   
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There was silence as they continued to walk down the stairs and down the main hall of Hogwarts. They took a few turns, down a few narrow alleyways, and through some stone corridors and down a narrow staircase, only to stop at a large, ancient looking statue of a large snake.  
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"Nimble toad." Lucius said, watching the snake's mouth open and the jaws part only to reveal the gothically furnished Slytherin common room. It looked more like a dungeon with black leather couches, large chandeliers, and gothic windows—a place to look at rather than to live in. Ambrosine couldn't argue that she liked how it looked.   
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"Ah, all the comforts of home." Lucius stretched his arms high above his head after stepping over the snake's lower jaws.   
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"…Thanks." Ambrosine said, following him over the small half-foot tall barricade that was blocking her entrance to the common room. "I really appreciate your help."  
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Before Lucius could swivel around and say 'No problem!', Ambrosine was walking up the stone steps to the girls' dormitories.   
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. . . . f i n 


	2. Chapter Two part one

. + . Author . . . Aaden  
. + . Date Written . . . August-September 2003  
. + . Rating . . . PG (in later chapters, etc, rating may change)  
. + . Note . . . Hurrah hurrah. Chapter two, part one. I haven't added to this in FOREVER. o_o! No inspiration. What a long project. If you like this, please tell me, that way I'll actually want to continue. ._. Thanks! 3 Also...I use some Japanese in here. I don't know if it's correct. I'm sorry. Also, if you're from Northern England...I'm sorry. u_u I'm using a really pathetic sort of Northern accent in here...what can I say, I'm just immitating how my uncle talks. Sorry. Pleeease don't be offended.   
. + . Disclaimer . . . Sadly, Remus Lupin and that whole world don't belong to me...*sobs* and nor does Hogwarts...but it does belong to J.K. Rowling.  
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. . . . . . . . . . . . Y e a r . O n e   
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. . . . b e g i n  
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The next morning Ambrosine awoke with a start. Someone had decided to throw a pillow at her and yell, 'WAKE UP!' at the top of her lungs. Well, Ambrosine thought, at least they had bothered to wake her up.  
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Thankfully, the first year girls' dormitories were empty by the time that Ambrosine awoke. The night before she had just shoved off her new Hogwarts school uniform into her bedside drawer, which she hadn't even bothered to close. All she'd wanted last night was rest, and she'd gotten it. She was surprised to see that the tie that she had been given to wear the night before on the Hogwarts Express was no longer gray, but now a silk of intertwined green and silver, the Slytherin house colors. The V-neck of her dark gray blazer was now also adorned with the same very colors…just like magic.   
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Ambrosine was delighted by this, and though she was not very proud of the house that she had forcibly placed herself in, the whole magical aura of the school enchanted her and caused her to be eager to stay, despite what she may have to endure.   
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After slipping off her long black nightdress and clothing herself in her uniform, Ambrosine walked over to the bathrooms, thankful that the floor was clean (otherwise her bare feet would have gotten an uncomfortable prickle). She had gotten a good bed, despite being the last girl to arrive at the Slytherin first year girls' dorms—it was right beside the bathrooms, which meant that, if she was fast enough, she'd get first dibs more often than not. Since she'd forgotten her brush at home, Ambrosine was glad to find that various house elves had apparently left out a brand new brush for each inhabitant of the first year girls' dorms, not that she was aware of the fact that it was indeed house elves that were supplying these items.   
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She ran the thick bristled brush through her hair, coming across many knots. Ambrosine Emerson's hair looked pretty straight at a distance, but when she fell asleep she usually awoke with an uncountable amount of entanglements and other kinks in her hair. Though it took nearly ten minutes to get each and every tangle out and coming close to killing her brush, Ambrosine's hair was finally pretty straight. No, it wasn't perfect…she'd a few loose strands of hair sticking up here and there, but it was acceptable.   
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The lone girl picked up a green, presentably folded facecloth and raised it to her face after running the cleansing material through the warm water that gently flowed out of the sink's elaborately decorated tap. Ah, that woke her up… Ambrosine wrung the water out of the washrag with her hands and left it hanging over a towel rack to dry.  
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"Pity. Looks like that mask of yours didn't come off." Came a venomous remark from the other side of the large girls' bathroom.  
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"…I…" Ambrosine looked up and to the right of her, eyes following the voice.   
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Narcissa Black.   
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"…I'm sorry to bother you, Narcissa…" Ambrosine said softly. "I'll leave you alone."  
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There was a snort from the other end of the bathroom as Narcissa raised her head arrogantly, her pointed yet seemingly perfectly shaped nose directed slightly at the ceiling.  
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Ambrosine was glad to be out of the bathroom and away from Narcissa. As she put on and pulled up her gray knee socks, which were required of all girls who attended Hogwarts, she mentally queried why Narcissa had waited so long to go into the bathroom. Surely Narcissa could have left first with all of her friends? 'She probably stayed just to make fun of me…' Ambrosine thought, sighing.  
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Upon walking into the great hall for breakfast, Ambrosine was nearly thrown off her feet thanks to the massive throng of people that were hanging about the entrance. She slid through a group of Hufflepuff girls, trying her best to not be noticed as she walked slowly over to the front of the Slytherin table, a small pile of books hugged tightly to her chest. She sat down at the end of the table that was closest to the staff table, alone. All of the other first years had seemed to have made a large group of friends overnight, since the remainder of them were all conversing happily with one another.   
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Ambrosine stabbed a small sausage on her plate with one of the silver forks that was set gingerly next to her china plate. She eyed the cylindrical piece of meat boredly before nibbling on it. Mm, that was pretty tasty… 'Well, at least the food is good. Much better than at home.' Ambrosine thought happily, now taking a big bite of the sausage. At least there was one good thing about Hogwarts so far.  
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While nibbling on her gourmet breakfast, Ambrosine slid her left hand into her skirt pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. Her cobalt eyes scanned it, a slight frown crossing her features.  
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Slytherin First Year Schedule: School Year 1971-1972  
Course Name Inhabitants Professor  
1st Period: Breakfast All Houses Weiss  
2nd Period: History of Magic Ravenclaw Binns  
3rd Period: Charms Hufflepuff Flitwick  
4th Period: Defense Against the Dark Arts Gryffindor Belle  
5th Period: Lunch All Houses Weiss  
6th Period: Transfiguration Gryffindor McGonagall  
7th Period: Potions Gryffindor Weiss  
8th Period: Herbology Hufflepuff Sprout  
9th Period: Flying Lessons (only first day) Slytherin Hooch  
9th Period: Free Period Ravenclaw N/A  
10th Period: Dinner All Houses Weiss   
Midnight (Wed): Astronomy All Houses Sinistra  
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"That would be really handy if I knew where all of these classes were…" Ambrosine said to herself with a soft laugh. Well, she had made it to breakfast successfully, so that was a start. One period down…only nine left to go. Since it seemed like all Slytherin first years had the same schedule—Ambrosine had come to this conclusion by secretly glancing at the girl next to hers' schedule, doing so to confirm her suspicions—Ambrosine decided that she would simply follow everybody else. Surely one bolder than she would think to get directions and ask an older student where their classes were, and the whole group of Slytherin first years would all be in the same boat.  
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Ambrosine noticed that within a few moments the remainder of students in the great hall had all stood and were beginning to walk out of the large room. She quickly wiped her hands with a nearby napkin and set it atop her plate. In one swift movement she scooped up her books and hugged them to her chest tightly, all the while thinking that she really should have bought a book bag or the like to carry all of her materials in.   
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The direction in which the students began to walk in seemed to be sorted by height, which was rather convenient. Ambrosine figured that if she just kept up with the rest of the Slytherins that were her height, first years, she wouldn't get lost…or, she hoped she wouldn't get lost. Every now and then as she walked, she scanned the group ahead of her for that blond boy, that one who had helped her yesterday. Lucius, wasn't it? He seemed to know his way around even without making an effort.  
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After walking along many stairways and up and down many hallways, the already somewhat tired Slytherin first years arrived at the end of a rather short hallway resulting in a single door. Despite the hall's narrow appearance, as Ambrosine walked into the classroom she found it to be rather large. There was a long blackboard on the wall, which seemed to be about three meters long, if not longer. It was a nice polished dark gray that looked as though it had been just polished to ready itself for the new school year's usage. The desks were paired in groups of two and one of the walls was covered in old newspaper clippings and posters, artifacts of the past. The other two shelves were large bookshelves full of thick and dilapidated history books. As her eyes met the literary works, Ambrosine wondered how one would be able to actually sift through one of those volumes without all of the pages tumbling to the floor or breaking apart as if they were comprised of the mica stone. The students all began to take their seats, and within mere minutes all of the desks were full. Now there was only one thing missing…the teacher.   
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Growing bored with waiting for the teacher to show up, a loud chatter swept the room.  
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"How awesome, we don't even have a teacher for first period…"  
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"Yeah, maybe they forgot."  
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"Ha, yeah, maybe they did! A free period on the first day of school!"  
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Ambrosine's eyes just drifted around the room, her gaze shifting swiftly from the chalkboard to more closely examine some of the old clippings that had been stapled to the wall, until she saw something strange out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes widened and she gasped, leaning backwards in her chair.  
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There was a semi-transparent gray arm sticking out of the chalkboard…and then there wasn't just an arm anymore. Starting with a small nose, the rest of the man's features became visible through the blackboard. He was a relatively short balding man, looking somewhat as though someone had dumped a bag of flour over his head and he'd just not bothered to wipe it off his crown, or off of the rest of his body, for that matter. He was a…a…ghost!  
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"Now class, settle down!" he called, and there was an instant silence from the class as he set down a pile of papers on his desk, which he then walked right through. "Welcome to your first year at the finest institution of magic…Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Professor Binns. My subject is History of Magic. I deal with facts, not myths and legends." The teacher's voice was dry and raspy sounding, as though he hadn't had a drink in a few hundred years, which actually probably wasn't such an illogical of a thought, as he was an apparition.   
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There was some more silence, as the class looked at him in an awestruck manner, not a sound emitted, other than the occasional sigh.   
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"This year we will be primarily studying the very origin of magic – Ancient Egypt." Binns said, flicking his wand as thick sheets of parchment flew towards each student. "Each of you have been given a packet outlining the topics that we will be reading about—a basic syllabus. On the back page there is the grading criteria. I suggest you take a long look at it, students, if you want to succeed in my class."  
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Ambrosine's eyes remained on the short ghost of a wizard, taking in and thoroughly analyzing every word to pass from his mouth. Once he had not said anything for a few moments, subtly suggesting that the students read over newly received packets, Ambrosine's eyes fell down to scan the parchment. The writing was in an old English hand—elaborate and somewhat difficult to read. After her eyes got used to looking at it and she decrypted the hand, she found that it would not be all that difficult to receive a 90-100% in this class—as long as she paid attention. Hopefully it wouldn't be too hard to do at least that…but judging by how his voice sounded, low and droning, it would require a lot of concentration.  
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"Now…I suggest you begin to get to know your seatmates. There is the majority of an hour left of the period. This will be the only period in my class where you are not required to complete an assignment—enjoy it." Binns said, turning to move back to his desk.  
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Until then, Ambrosine hadn't even noticed that anyone had taken a seat next to her. She became aware of it as she looked up, taken aback by whom her eyes met.  
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She thought that she must have missed this girl while observing the sorting…maybe she was one of the latter first years to be sorted? Ambrosine had decided to just rest her head in her arms yesterday not long after she, being one of the first, was sorted. That must definitely be the case, she thought…since this girl had such a distinct look that Ambrosine doubted anyone would forget her upon setting their eyes on her.   
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The girl that was sitting next to Ambrosine had slightly pale skin, very different from Ambrosine's peach-colored epidermis. Her hair was also a quite unusual color—a dark navy blue. She had her hair tied back in a sloppy bun; not one strand strayed the binding. Her eyes seemed to be a vivid emerald green—Ambrosine couldn't see very well since the girl was still examining the parchment that Flitwick had handed out. The colors on her tie and blazer were blue and bronze—Ravenclaw colors—and on her school crest was a proudly embroidered bird of prey. She struck Ambrosine as pretty…pretty and intimidating. Her overall manner suggested that she was very sure of herself, if not somewhat quiet…very poised and self-controlled.  
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Just the Ravenclaw's demeanor made Ambrosine nervous, even more nervous than she was before she realized that there was someone seated next to her. Since the blue-haired girl was still looking at her parchment, Ambrosine decided that she could just read her own parchment over again to pass time…she didn't want to be the one to strike up the conversation. She just didn't want to bother anybody.  
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A few moments passed and Ambrosine finished reading the parchment over from start to finish for the third time. The sound of paper being rolled up made her jump slightly, and she looked up to see the blue-haired girl looking at her. Only then did she notice how…blue…the girl's hair actually was, and it made her glad that another dared to be different in terms of looks.  
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"Hello." The Ravenclaw said.  
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"…H-Hi." Ambrosine said, trying to smile.  
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She held out her hand.  
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"Kallie Wells. It's nice to meet you, miss…?"  
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Ambrosine shook it gently. She certainly hadn't expected the girl to do that, but she wanted to be polite.  
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"Ambrosine Emerson. I…I-It's a pleasure."  
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"The pleasure is mine." Kallie said, voice surprisingly friendly. She had heard the rumors about Slytherins being terribly horrible, but this one gave off a very distinct timid vibe, something that suggested that she wasn't the norm.  
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A few minutes of increasingly uncomfortable silence passed. Ambrosine sighed, eyes drifting back down to her parchment before shooting back up.  
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"…So. Do you like the school so far?"   
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"Yeah, it's an amazing place…" She said, recalling what had happened yesterday when she'd just stopped in the great hall, mouth open in awe at the ceiling of bright stars and the dark night sky.  
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"I agree. The architecture is gorgeous, especially from the outside. This castle was made thousands of years ago but it's still standing…that just goes to show, doesn't it?"  
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Ambrosine wasn't sure what Kallie meant by going to show, but she nodded with a smile nonetheless. This girl certainly sounded like she knew what she was talking about, and Ambrosine didn't want to argue or provoke her in any way…not that she wanted to argue with or provoke anyone, for that matter.   
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"I'm sorry…" Kallie sighed heavily. "I've talked too much already, haven't I? Mother says that I talk too much. I apologize." A hopeful smile crossed the girl's face as she looked at Ambrosine.  
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"…Oh, uhm, no, of course not."  
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"Okay, lovely." The Ravenclaw seemed happy to hear this; there was a hint of blissful bounciness detectable in her voice. "Please tell me if I do, will you?"  
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With the forced smile still plastered on her face, Ambrosine nodded. She thought that it was rude of herself to think so, but…yes, she did admit to herself that Kallie talked a little bit more than was perhaps necessary. She admitted it mentally, anyway—Ambrosine would not have even dreamed of saying this out loud. More than anything else, Ambrosine was afraid of offending others, and that was part of the reason that she remained so quiet and timid the majority of the time. Other reasons were that she simply didn't wish to be a burden to anyone…she hated bothering people; she didn't want to give anyone more of a reason to continue or begin, depending on whom she was conversing with, to criticize her.  
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"…So…where are you from?"  
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"London." Ambrosine hoped there wasn't an opportunity for one to crack a joke at her birthplace; she was quite fond of London.  
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"I'm from Bedford, but I hear London is superb. I've never been. Well, unless you want to count Diagon Alley a part of London. It's not really London, is it? Have you been to Tower Bridge? The view must be marvelous. I've only seen photographs."  
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"I like it there. It's home." A soft smile tugged at Ambrosine's lips. Ah, the bittersweet memories of her home life.   
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"Ah, I see…I guess that's how I feel about Bedford, but I'd have liked to travel somewhere once in my life. My parents are so boring—they don't like travel. They're a couple of misanthropes, if I've ever seen a few…"  
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Ambrosine spent the remainder of the period listening to Kallie chatter on and on about her family and home life. Perhaps it was a matter of personal taste, but Ambrosine found Kallie's life and mindless ramblings to be quite interesting. Ambrosine liked to observe and listen to what people had to say rather than actually taking part in any such conversations. She learned that Kallie had an older brother who worked at a pub in Hogsmeade, the wizarding village that they would get to visit come their third year at school at Hogwarts; Ambrosine didn't really fancy the idea of going to a pub, but Kallie had assured her that there were non-alcoholic drinks available for students—her brother had brought her some flasks of a drink called butterbeer. Kallie said it was quite addictive despite it's lack of alcohol.  
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Before she knew it…class was over. Professor Binns had circulated around the room to take attendance during the period, and he had just now finished. Ambrosine hoped that means of finding out who was present and who was not would not be continued tomorrow…too many people would be considered on time when they were late. She didn't think she'd have to worry about this, however…Binns seemed pretty strict.   
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"Class dismissed." Binns had to raise his voice to be heard over all of the clatter of chairs against the floor, voices loud at the inkling that class had ended. Ambrosine saw that quite a few students looked quite tired…perhaps some had decided to take mid-morning naps without knowledge of the professor. At this she found herself smiling slightly…it would have just been a lot easier to go to sleep.  
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"I'll see you 'round, okay?" Kallie said, rising from her chair and holding her books by her side.  
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"Okay." Ambrosine said.  
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"Cheerio!"  
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And with that parting phrase, Kallie Wells disappeared into the throng of students that were moving to exit the classroom through the narrow door that lead to an equally narrow hallway. Ambrosine waited a bit and then followed, being sure to keep at a distance where she would not get pushed by her fellow housemates but was still able to see them.  
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All of the Slytherins were walking up one of the steeper staircases that led up to the castle's highest level…the seventh floor. Before, Ambrosine hadn't noticed that they had come so close to the top of the castle. She harbored a fear of heights, so perhaps it was better that she hadn't noticed…but now she certainly had, and there was no changing the past. As butterflies filled her stomach, Ambrosine swallowed nervously, taking a tighter hold onto her books as she stepped up one smooth step at a time. Ambrosine was purposefully trying to stay in the middle of the staircase, for venturing too close to either of the sides may have led to her getting too nervous and simply toppling over. Though she knew this was very unlikely, she feared it nonetheless. Fears were indeed irrational.  
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She tried to keep her eyes down on the steps, not letting them stray to the sides where she could see many of the staircases below her, instead looking at the feet of whomever was in front of her as to not lose the rest of the first year Slytherins and successfully end up at the next classroom. What was their next class, anyway?  
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Ambrosine shifted her books to hold them in one arm against her right hip, rummaging into her skirt's front left pocket with her free hand, attempting to locate her schedule. Aha, there it was. She pulled out a nicely folded yet small piece of paper, the very same paper she'd consulted just over one hour ago.   
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"Charms…with the Hufflepuffs." Ambrosine said to herself. She wondered what this would be like…the sorting hat had said that she would have done well in either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. The Ravenclaws did seem nice enough…Kallie was nice to her, wasn't she? Perhaps she would be able to make friends with a Ravenclaw, or a Hufflepuff…but she would only have the chance to do so if the members of the other houses didn't judge her merely on her crest of green and silver.   
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Before long, the group made their way up the stairs, finally reaching the top. For this, Ambrosine was relieved…though the thought that she had to go up those stairs every day for the next year didn't excite her, and roused slight fear and reluctancy despite her relieved manner. She raised her head and slid her schedule back into her pocket, following the rest of her house down a rather large hallway, only to end up walking down another incredibly steep flight of stairs. This one was, indeed, far steeper than the last flight had been, that was for sure, and Ambrosine began to wonder why they had went up a flight of stairs only to go down another. Hm, perhaps the leader of the group had realized he or she had made a wrong turn…But then, Ambrosine had read, and witnessed, that these staircases did fancy a move back and fourth every now and then, so perhaps the only way to get to one stairway was to go along another. Hm, curious. Ambrosine made a mental note, now jogging down the stairs skittishly in order to keep up with the rest of the Slytherins. A nervous feeling returned again to Ambrosine's stomach; the prospect of somehow falling over the side of the staircase's railings, down many, many floors, perhaps to her death, frightened her. As she jogged, however, Ambrosine's fears ebbed even if only just slightly at the mere idea that within a few minutes this wonderful trek down steep stairs would be completed…for today.   
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And, in a few minutes, it was.  
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Ambrosine sighed a heavy sigh of immense relief, raising a hand to gently push her bangs out of her eyes as she followed a few remaining Slytherins down a rather generous hallway lined with many paintings and into a small wooden door, entering what was a very large classroom. The students began piling into the room, groggy expressions on their faces.   
They were the first to arrive…apparently the Hufflepuffs had to travel farther in order to get to this particular classroom, Ambrosine mused. She looked around the room curiously. A few shelves lined the walls, all filled with particularly large books and models of various sorts. There were not desks, but a pair of groups of long rectangular tables that made the room look somewhat like a movie theatre or a concert hall, as each table, as they got closer to the back wall, was set up higher than the last. Wooden chairs were placed equal amounts apart at each table, almost inviting students to sit down.  
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Ambrosine took a chair on the left end of the classroom. A large desk, which she assumed belonged to the teacher of this class, sat in the middle of the groups of tables, almost as a conductor's podium would be in the middle of rows of aspiring musicians. Ambrosine furrowed her brow, however, as she saw that there appeared to be no teacher present. She queried mentally as to whether or not this would be the recurring theme at Hogwarts, as Binns had notably been absent for a short while at the beginning of first period. Sitting silently in her chair, hands in her lap, books on the oak wood in front of her, Ambrosine awaited the arrival of both the Hufflepuffs as well as the teacher. The students around her seemed to be laughing and joking with each other, and Ambrosine looked up to note whom seemed to be getting along with whom. It was no surprise when she'd seen Michelle and Narcissa giggling in a girlish way, the pair sitting a few rows behind her. She scanned the room for that boy that Madam Pomfrey had called Lucius, only to find him conversing energetically with a few boys…surprisingly, the quartet had decided to sit not far behind Narcissa and Michelle's group of girls.   
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There was a loud tapping noise which caused Ambrosine to jump and spin around, looking for the origin of the rather sudden sound. Her eyes stopped at the teacher's desk. Unlike before, there was now somebody occupying it.   
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He was a rather short man, and struck Ambrosine as resembling a dwarf or likewise. His cheeks were rosy, accompanied by a wide, friendly smile. Rectangular glasses rested on his ski-slope shaped nose, gray hair and a gray beard falling down to his shoulders. There were no traces of white in the man's hair, which suggested that he was just now beginning to lean towards old age. In his slightly bony hand was grasped a thick wand that was just slightly crooked.   
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"Class, settle down please!" he said, again tapping his wand on his desk. The two looked to be made of the same cherry oak wood… Ambrosine thought it rather interesting—and rather clever, too…what a nice subtle touch—that this seemingly cheerful yet miniature wizard would coordinate the wood of his classroom with the wood of his wand.   
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The majority of the students' eyes were now locked on their new teacher; many conversations were gradually paused. It seemed that the majority of the students had arrived now, only a few chairs standing empty. Most of the Hufflepuff students looked a little muddy…Ambrosine wondered what class they had had, and decided to be especially observant, listening for any hints as to which class it was.  
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"Welcome to Hogwarts." The tiny man said. "I am Professor Flitwick, and I will be your Charms teacher for the remainder of your years here. It's good to see lots of young, eager faces."  
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The class responded with silence.  
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"I hope all of you have brought your own copy of Miranda Goshawk's The Standard Book of Spells, Year One. That's the textbook that we will be primarily using in this class, all other books that you will need can easily be found and checked out at the library."  
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There was a soft murmur from the majority of the students. Ambrosine checked her pile of books…Standard Book of Spells…yes, it was there. She moved it silently to the top of her little mound of required text.  
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"Today we will be working on a simple charm to gently separate two things. You will each be given a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Now, if you can separate the box from the candy, you can eat the candy. I'll be able to tell whether or not you've done the charm perfectly. If you have, the box will be perfectly flat and have no folds or rips or fingerprints whatsoever."   
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Flitwick took out a small green box with a picture of a brown frog on the front, placing it on his desk and saying, "Wingardrium Leviosa." pointing his wand at the now floating sweet.  
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"Now, this is what you're going to have to do." He said, raising his wand in the air. "One, two, flick your wand lightly, and… Appello Diluo!" With those last two words, the box began to slowly come apart, though the sides were as flat as ever. A pile of jellybeans floated away from the box, which still hung in the air. "I'm doing this high up so all of you can see, I don't expect any of you to levitate your boxes. Does everyone understand?"  
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Everyone seemed to nod happily. They seemed to quite like their new teacher, but then, perhaps that was just the fact that they'd be getting some candy taking effect.  
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Flitwick did another levitation spell and floated the boxes of Bertie Bott's around the classroom, one drifting down to each student. Ambrosine reached up to catch hers, then placed it gently on the wooden table in front of her, sliding her books to the side. She took her wand out of her pocket, the sprig a slightly shiny dark brown—apple wood.   
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Ambrosine took a deep breath and concentrated on what she was doing, gazing at the item in front of her; the object of the charm was to gently open the box of jellybeans.   
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"Appello Diluo." Ambrosine said, pointing her wand at the blue box and flicking it just slightly.  
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Nothing happened.  
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The blonde-haired girl sighed, somewhat frustrated. Hadn't she done it exactly like Flitwick had shown them? No matter…she should just try it again. Nobody was perfect, so nobody would get it on the first try, would they?  
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"Appello Diluo." She said, waving her wand again over the box of candy, flicking it.   
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Well, at least the box had moved just a little this time…one of the flaps that was tucked into the box to try and keep it from being opened unless one physically moved it had budged, even if only just a little bit. This inkling of success had supplied Ambrosine with a bout of self-confidence.   
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"Appello Diluo!" Ambrosine said again, yet this time with more enthusiasm. Well, that had certainly worked…  
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Ambrosine's box of Bertie Bott's sprang open, the multicolored jellybeans showering onto the desk, bouncing every which way. Quite a few rolled off of the wooden surface and onto the tile floor of the classroom, resulting in loud clicks and clacks, the result of the collision of two relatively hard surfaces. Ambrosine swallowed nervously, her face now flushed. The majority of the students' eyes rested on her now, their acute hearing picking up the sound of the jellybeans hitting the floor; most students who had been engaged in conversation ceased speaking.   
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After the one last jellybean fell with a click, the room was absolutely and positively silent. The silence was broken at last by Professor Flitwick, whom, at the moment, Ambrosine was undyingly thankful for.   
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"No problem, my dear." Came his weathered yet somehow still cheerful voice. He didn't seem mad at her, no, not at all. Instead, the kindness in his voice suggested that he would be willing to pick up each jellybean one by one and offer her a new box to replace the one that she had lost. "Here, I'll get those for you."  
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"Colligo." Professor Flitwick said, pointing his wand at the general area of where Ambrosine was sitting, at all of the fallen jellybeans. The class watched silently as all of the beans were drawn to each other as if due to the forces of a magnet, resulting in one mass of jellybeans that was tightly huddled together.  
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"T-thank you, Professor…" Ambrosine whispered, her face flushed with embarrassment and nervousness. At least Flitwick had saved her the trouble and further embarrassment of picking up each jellybean on her own one-by-one whilst the remainder of the students inhabiting the class watched her.  
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"Don't worry about it." Flitwick grinned. "Here, take this, too." He held out a shiny new box of Bertie Bott's to her. Being so very short, however—Flitwick seemed to stand tall at about three feet, give or take a few inches—Ambrosine had to stand up and bend over the ancient wooden desk to accept it. She had to admit, she was quite shocked with this action of his…but it did brighten things up a bit. At least one of her teachers so far seemed kind and easygoing.  
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"Thank you, Sir. Very much." Ambrosine's voice was soft and shaky; internally she had decided that she liked this teacher. Though elderly, he seemed to have a childish cheeriness to him, which she liked.  
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Ambrosine spent the remainder of the charms period silently munching away on her jellybeans. She thought them quite tasty, and was grateful that Flitwick was kind enough to replace her fallen box of Bertie Bott's with a new one. Luckily she hadn't had the displeasure of coming across a sour or bad-tasting bean in the box that Flitwick had handed her. Briefly, Ambrosine wondered whether or not the Professor had done this on purpose, perhaps 'rigging' the box, in a sense, so there were simply no foul beans in it.  
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Before long, the bell rang.  
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"Class dismissed! Wonderful work today, everyone!" Flitwick raised his voice in order to be heard over the shuffling and conversing of students, which immediately followed the ringing of the bell. Students walked out of the classroom in a stampede. Ambrosine thought all of this intimidating and—she had to admit—somewhat frightening, so she simply remained in her seat until the majority of the students had all left. She gingerly placed one last jellybean into her mouth, the cinnamon flavor a welcoming one to her taste buds. Sweeping her books up into her arms, she jogged after the rest of the Slytherin students and into the hallway.   
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When they'd just arrived at the Charms classroom, Ambrosine hadn't taken the time to notice what floor they were on, nor did she know what floor they were destined for, or even what class was next. Following behind the rest of the Slytherins seemed to work well so far, so, again, this was what she did. To her great relief, they didn't, this time, take a very narrow staircase, but instead one that looked to almost be flat…apparently the next classroom was only one floor down. Well, that was good, at least. Ambrosine walked down the stairs—though it seemed like she was simply walking upon a level plane—not at all as nervous as she had been this past hour; Ambrosine was quite pleased with herself for not being terribly scared.   
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She arrived at the foot of the stairwell rather abruptly, colliding with a rather short girl, a girl whom only rose to just below Ambrosine's eyes.   
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"I-I'm sorry…" Ambrosine stuttered. "Are you okay?"  
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The girl turned, her smooth brown hair whipping around as she did. Uh oh. Ambrosine recognized this girl…Michelle. Michelle Adams. A glare rested snugly on the shorter girl's face, and even though Ambrosine was a bit taller than Michelle, she was frightened. If a look could kill, Ambrosine certainly felt as though Michelle's would. She wanted to sink into the ground, to shrink, to disappear, to escape…  
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"You're sorry?" Michelle spat, voice venomous.  
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"…I…I, uhm, yeah…I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you…" Ambrosine said weakly, her voice low, almost a whisper.  
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"How dare you…"  
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"I'm sorry…"  
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"You do that again, Emerson…and I promise you that you will regret it. Watch where you're going."  
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Ambrosine watched as Michelle walked away, quite relieved that she left. Ah, at least that was over with…but Ambrosine honestly didn't mean to walk into Michelle. Really, she didn't. It upset her that Michelle would just disregard her apology like that; it made her feel about three inches tall, if that. She really didn't know why people like Michelle and Narcissa intimidated her so, but…that was how things were, it seemed, and Ambrosine was too afraid, too feeble to fight it.  
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Cautiously, almost unwillingly, Ambrosine again walked forward to follow her fellow Slytherins into the next classroom. After they turned a corner, she looked around for Penelope…hmm; it appeared that her and Narcissa had resumed their positions near the front of their little troupe of bothersome girls. Ambrosine emitted a relieved sigh; hopefully Narcissa and Penelope wouldn't decide to hang back just to speak to her again. 'Please…' She thought, 'Please just leave me alone…'   
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And she got her wish. As they entered the huge classroom, Narcissa and Michelle led all of the Slytherin girls (excluding Ambrosine) to the far left side of the room, taking seats near the back. Just so they could get away with talking, no doubt. Ambrosine sighed and seated herself in one of the front chairs. She set down her books gratefully—they were quite a load to haul around all day, even though the day had seemingly just begun—and took a gander at the classroom. Yes, it was relatively large, and tastefully decorated with little golden bells and royal blue curtains of satin. Books lined the walls, and not a speck of dust seemed to be visible. Ambrosine honestly couldn't see a single thing out of place, be it a book, a paper, anything at all. Even the desks were lined up perfectly, as though the teacher had measured the whole thing himself or herself. Ambrosine looked about for the teacher. Was this going to be an ongoing thing at Hogwarts, or…ah, there she was. Finally, a female teacher, Ambrosine thought. A tall lanky woman stood at the door—Ambrosine mused as to why she had not seen her upon walking into the classroom; had she simply not been as observant as usual, or had the professor not been there all along? —Body adorned with robes of blue lined with gold. Locks of chestnut had been pulled back tightly with a rather large blue ribbon. Spherical spectacles rested on the tip of the middle-aged woman's pointed mouse-like nose as she chattered away with a girl whose tie shone red and gold.   
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So that was who they'd be having this class with…Gryffindor.   
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"That's perfectly acceptable, Miss…you'll just have to share a book with someone until you can get one. We'll not be doing any bookwork today, don't you worry! It is only the beginning of term; I don't expect everyone to be perfect on the first day! Just please have it when you can. You might want to try the library after suppertime, I'm sure they've got a copy."  
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"Thank you so much, Ma'am. I'll have it tomorrow, promise."  
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The professor did have a rather high-pitched voice, which Ambrosine supposed went along with her peculiar affinity for bells and objects of the sort. She was a funny looking woman, who seemed to have little to no figure, and instead stood erect straight as a board.  
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Nodding with an appreciative grin, the red headed girl whom the professor had been conversing with began to walk down the aisle.   
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Ambrosine remembered her…Lily? Lily Evans, she thought it was, though she wasn't one hundred percent positive. She seemed nice enough, maybe a potential friend?  
Still after the majority of the class had piled in, the seat next to Ambrosine remained vacant. As Lily strode past, Ambrosine shot the girl a hopeful, friendly smile, the best she could muster. Lily, however, in response to this attempted kind gesture, glared at Ambrosine questioningly.  
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Oh, right.  
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Ambrosine sighed. She'd almost forgotten…Gryffindors weren't supposed to get along with Slytherins. Her parents had given her a fairly lengthy briefing on Hogwarts and the houses and the whole nine yards…dos and don'ts. Again, just as she had yesterday, Ambrosine heard her father's voice ringing clear as a bell in her ears. 'Get out of my head…' she mentally pleaded. No, she didn't want to hear those words again…just once had been sufficient. If only he could see her now, he'd be so proud of the fact that she'd gotten into Slytherin, but so ashamed of her actions…oh, god, get out of my head…  
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"Class, I'd like your attention please…"   
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Ambrosine's musings had been interrupted.   
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"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts class, year one. I'm Professor Bell, this is my first year teaching here at Hogwarts, and so I'll be going through the same new feelings as you." The professor offered an illuminated smile. "I don't know my way around too well, so if you need help getting around I advise that you ask someone else, unless you fancy getting a little lost. This year we'll be covering the basics, but enough of that. In this class I want everyone to be friends, so I have a little game that we can play."  
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She tapped her thin wand on her desk, which sat at the front of the room yet still allowed a little teaching space. The neat pile of parchment that had been resting upon her desk instantly floated upwards, a little cloud of smoke under it, making the pile appear to be floating upon a cloud.   
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"I would like every student to take one of these sheets of paper as the pile comes around. After you have received your paper, please follow the directions. I would like the assignment completed, no excuses! This will be your first recorded mark, but don't worry. It'll be easy, I promise."  
Before smiling once more, Professor Bell sat down at her desk. Ambrosine was quite thankful that she had stopped talking, as she found her squeaky voice mildly annoying. Ah well, she'd just have to tolerate it. Ambrosine had her mind set on getting good marks this year.  
The little cloud had decided to fly around Ambrosine's aisle first. Nervously, Ambrosine extended a pale hand to gently pick up one of the thick sheets of parchment, eyes drifting over the plainly written words.   
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Please find another student with each of these qualities and get them to sign on the line next to the attribute. Don't be afraid to get up and talk to people!  
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Ambrosine swallowed nervously. Oh no…she didn't want to get up and talk to people. Actually, that was just the opposite of what she wished to do at the moment. She just wanted to sit down and lean back in her chair, taking notes or something similar. She was even willing to endure a lengthy explanation on some sort of defensive theory by Professor Bell, and that was saying something, given how much of a nuisance Ambrosine found the woman's voice.  
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Reluctantly, Ambrosine looked over what she had been requested to find. She'd have to do this…the professor had said that it would count for a mark.  
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Find someone who…  
1. …is not in your house: __________  
2. …is an only child: __________  
3. …likes quidditch: __________  
4. …likes to read: __________  
5. …has a last name that starts with 'b': __________  
6. …was born in another country: __________  
7. ….has hair of a different color than yours: __________  
8. …has hair that is the same color as yours: __________  
9. …is taller than you: __________  
10. …is shorter than you: __________  
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Okay, Ambrosine thought, this wouldn't be all that difficult, would it? Just ten things, ten   
people…that was a lot less than she had assumed that she would have to find. This wouldn't take long. She hoped.  
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She looked around. There were a lot of people that weren't in her house, but who to ask? Probably not Lily, Ambrosine thought pessimistically. To be honest, Ambrosine doubted that any of the Gryffindors would talk to her. She was a Slytherin, after all…great luck, having to take a class with Gryffindors…it wasn't that Ambrosine thought that Gryffindors were bad people, it was simply that she knew most of the Gryffindors would misjudge her. (Or was she misjudging the Gryffindors by assuming this?) There went another opportunity.   
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But she'd try anyway.  
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After she saw that most of the other students had begun to rise, Ambrosine stood up slowly and glanced around. Everyone seemed to be in little groups. There were the Slytherin girls all in one little group to the left of the room, and the Gryffindor girls were gathered right behind her. There were two groups of both Slytherin and Gryffindor boys, and then a few others who seemingly fit into not one of the above groups sat at their desks in a bored fashion, not even bothering to stand up and make an effort.  
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Ambrosine didn't know where to start. Everyone looked downright intimidating…while she wasn't about to go ask one of the Gryffindor girls to sign her paper after the look Lily had given her, she also wasn't about to walk up to a group of pompous boys, either.   
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The volume of chatter in the classroom elevated, and Ambrosine felt even more alienated than she had as she'd received the assignment.  
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Who to ask?  
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Ambrosine glanced up at the clock on the wall. Fifty minutes. She had fifty minutes to get ten people to sign her paper, which meant all that she had to do was get one person to sign every five minutes. That should be easy…but Ambrosine couldn't help but feel reluctant. She didn't want to do the assignment…  
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She stood beside her desk and watched the seconds tick away. Forty-nine minutes. Forty-eight minutes. Forty-seven. Forty-six. Forty-five.  
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Ambrosine tapped her foot against the tiled floor nervously. Come on, why couldn't she do this? Just pick somebody and ask…  
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Across from her, to the left, sat a lone Slytherin boy with raven black hair that fell to his chin. She couldn't see his eyes or his cheeks, simply a rather hook-like nose protruding from the curtains of hair. He didn't seem to be budging, either…just as she wasn't. Maybe she could go ask him? She didn't recognize him from the sorting…but he did have Slytherin robes on; she could see the green and silver emblem sewed onto his blazer.   
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Swallowing nervously yet again, Ambrosine picked up her quill, stopped fiddling with the corner of parchment (this was a nervous habit) and slowly walked over to the desk where the lone boy sat.  
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She stopped.  
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Come on, Ambrosine, say something…  
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"…H…hi."  
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Ambrosine forced a slight smile.  
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"I was wondering if you could, uhm, sign my paper, please."  
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The boy turned his head, looking up at her. Just this small movement caused his silky black hair to sway back and fourth, not unlike the manner of a heavy curtain, which had been blown aside by the wind.   
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He looked absolutely shocked. Someone was talking to him? This was a new thing, definitely, and a new thing that he was surely not used to. He wasn't quite sure of how to respond.  
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"Hello…" The boy said, voice low. He managed a forced smile, trying to hide his surprise. Someone was speaking to him.  
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Ambrosine smiled back. Well, he seemed nice so far.  
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Silence.  
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"…Oh, uh, right…the paper." He said, looking away, flustered.   
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"It's all right." Ambrosine smiled softly, handing him her sheet of parchment.  
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"…W-will you please sign mine, too? If it's not any trouble, I mean…"  
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"I-Of course!"   
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He handed her his parchment.  
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Ambrosine's eyes scanned the paper. It seemed identical to hers…what could she sign? She was an only child…she supposed that she could sign that one. And she did like to read, too…and then there was the hair one. Which category would she fit into on that one? Her primary hair color was blonde, and that definitely contrasted from his ebon locks, but the tips of her hair were black…  
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The boy slid Ambrosine back her parchment.   
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Ambrosine glanced down at what he had signed his name under…number eight. …has hair that is the same color as yours: Severus  
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Ambrosine grinned, quickly scrawling her name under that same category on his paper, handing it back to him.  
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His brow furrowed.  
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"…Am…bro…sign? …Is that how you say it?"  
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"Not quite, but it was a really good try…Severus, right?"  
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Severus nodded.  
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"Yeah."  
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"Nice to meet you, Severus…I'm Ambrosine. Kind of rhymes with magazine." Ambrosine smiled in a friendly manner and held out her hand for him to shake if he wished. She'd assumed that it would be a safe gesture, as he hadn't turned her away yet and appeared to be in the same boat as she.  
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He shook her hand, and though hesitant at first, it was a firm shake, his fingers long, hand bony.   
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"…N-nice to meet you, too, Ambrosine." He'd pronounced it correctly this time.  
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For a few moments they stood in silence.   
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"I, uhm, I think I'm going to try and get some more people to sign my paper. I guess I'll see you later…?" They were in the same house, after all. Ambrosine thought this would be a reasonable assumption.  
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Severus nodded.   
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"Yeah. See you."   
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Ambrosine smiled to herself and at Severus before turning and walking away. That had gone well…he seemed really nice. Now she only had one problem…she had to get more signatures.   
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She glanced down at her paper. Best just to start from the top, she supposed…find someone that's not in your house. That meant a Gryffindor. There were so many of them, though…who to pick?  
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Ambrosine decided that she wasn't about to go up to the band of Gryffindor boys (who had now merged with the group of Gryffindor girls who appeared more popular), so the smaller group of Gryffindor girls would have to suffice…even if Lily was in it. Nervously, she walked up to them, smiling in what she hoped was a friendly, inviting manner.  
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"…H-hi, I was wondering if maybe any of you could sign my paper?"  
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"Yeah, like we'd sign your paper…"  
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Ambrosine felt a wave of nausea coming on. That was exactly what she had expected them to say…  
"Emilie, shush!" Lily hissed. "Of course we'll sign your paper…"  
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Ambrosine hid the fact that she was surprised with a slight smile. Lily had shot her such a dirty look as class had started, and now she was acting nicely? Maybe Lily had suspected that Ambrosine was smiling at the fact that she had forgotten her textbook, or was mocking her earlier…whatever the reason, Lily sure didn't seem upset with her at the moment, and had even lightly chastised one of her dark-haired companions. Though Ambrosine was unable to figure out the reason as to why, she decided to spend her time musing on other things. If people were going to be nice to her, she wasn't going to complain.   
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"May I see your paper, please?"  
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"Oh, yeah, right…" Ambrosine handed Lily her sheet of parchment, who then scribbled her name down her name under category number seven.  
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"Thanks so much, Lily." She smiled an appreciative smile.  
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"Any time. Could you please sign mine?"  
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Ambrosine nodded as Lily handed her her sheet of parchment. Ambrosine used her knee as a lapboard and wrote her name neatly under the second category, the one about being an only child.  
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"Thanks. You're an only child? I wish I was, my sister is annoying…" Lily sighed heavily.  
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"It must be really exciting to have a sibling…I'm always by myself. At least you have someone who's with you all of the time, someone you can always go to…?"  
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Lily shrugged. "I guess the grass is always greener on the other side."  
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"Hey, could you sign my paper? I still need the first one signed, and you aren't in my house." A girl whom appeared to be chewing some sort of bubblegum said, shoving her parchment into Ambrosine's face. She had shoulder-length dark brown hair in tight ringlets. She struck Ambrosine as pretty, but the way she spoke and chewed gum with her mouth open brought down the level of admiration of any sort that Ambrosine might have had for her.  
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As the brown haired girl took Ambrosine's parchment from Lily, Ambrosine signed space number two on her parchment before handing it back to her.   
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"Thanks." Ambrosine smiled.  
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"Anata no kami onegaishimasu ka?"   
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Ambrosine looked to the girl on Lily's right. She hadn't even noticed her at first, since she hadn't said anything until now. But what was she saying? Ambrosine blinked, brow furrowed in confusion.  
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"Can I see you paper? I sign."   
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"She just moved here from Japan." Lily said, smiling hopefully. "She can speak a bit of English, me and Em are trying to help her out and get used to things here."  
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Nodding, Ambrosine handed her paper to the foreign girl. Whatever her name was, she didn't look as oriental as many other Asian girls whom she'd seen…though she was, no doubt, Asian. Ambrosine wondered how she was going to get on in school, hardly being able to speak English…but she supposed there was a spell for that, right? Surely Dumbledore would know?  
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After jotting her name down, the Japanese girl handed Ambrosine back her parchment, looking rather proud of herself. She had indeed signed her name, even though it was in a bit shaky of a hand. Ambrosine had to admit, she'd thought the foreign girl, Akiko, had done a really good job with writing in Eigo…Ambrosine knew all too well that she couldn't write her own name in a foreign language if her life depended upon it.  
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"Thank you very much." Ambrosine said to Akiko, bowing, as she assumed was customary in Japan. She didn't know for sure, however…it was just an assumption. To be honest, Ambrosine wouldn't have been surprised if the Japanese actually considered bowing rude and she was seriously offending this girl. It would have been just her luck.  
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Akiko nodded enthusiastically, as though she understood.  
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"Could you please sign this for her?" Lily asked, handing Ambrosine Akiko's paper.  
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"Of course…"  
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After Ambrosine had signed Akiko's paper as well as the other two girls in the little group's papers, they bade each other farewell, and Ambrosine now had to go try and find some more people to sign the rest of the empty spaces on her sheet of parchment. Though initially surprised at the Gryffindor girls' (mostly) positive reactions, Ambrosine had greatly appreciated it. She wasn't quite used to people treating her kindly, and though Lily's prior glare had baffled her, she had resolved to forget about it and be appreciative that Lily and her group had spoken with her and agreed to sign her parchment. They had helped a lot, and now Ambrosine only had to find five more people to sign it. She was almost half finished!  
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As well as aiding her in completing the assignment, Ambrosine's encounter with Lily's group had boosted the Slytherin's self-confidence, even if just in slight. They had had a positive reaction, maybe others would, too? It seemed unlikely…  
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But she had to finish this assignment. It was for a grade.  
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Ambrosine glanced down at her sheet of parchment, reading it over. Number five…she had to find someone whose last name began with a 'b'. She frowned, musing over this. There were two students with the same last name, weren't there? She'd seen it during the sorting. One of them was Narcissa, she knew…how could she forget? And the other was…a boy. A handsome boy, too.   
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She looked about the primary group of Gryffindor boys. Many of them seemed to be in the process of getting flogged by a steadily increasing amount of females, but Ambrosine supposed that it was all bound to happen in the end. Pretty boys would end up with pretty boys, and she would be left all alone. She looked from perfect face to perfect face…and there he was.  
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Sirius. That was his name. Sirius Black. She couldn't go talk to him. No, she couldn't. She couldn't, she couldn't, she couldn't.  
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Instead, she just stood there looking like a statue residing in a wax museum.  
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"Hey, could you sign my paper?"  
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Ambrosine blinked, glancing to her left. She'd just gotten tapped upon the shoulder, and she hadn't even noticed that she was being approached until now, whom exactly was approaching her also remaining unknown until she turned her head.  
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It was the boy who had helped her yesterday. Lucius.  
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She'd been wondering where he'd ran off to…and by the looks of it, him and the group of boys that was surrounding him had hung around near the rear of the classroom. Was that what they'd done every class? If so, that would explain why Ambrosine hadn't seen him…  
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"Uhm, yeah, sure." Ambrosine was completely taken aback, as well as deeply intimidated by the fact that Lucius was surrounded by a crowd of mean looking boys. She handed him her parchment, and he handed her his.  
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Not wanting Lucius' band to stick around very long for fear that they would squish her without warning, Ambrosine scrawled down her name under the first category. That wasn't a lie. She was an only child.   
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A few seconds after Ambrosine handed Lucius back his piece of parchment, he handed her back hers. He'd signed on the first line…the same category she'd signed under. His hand was elaborate, and looked somewhat like calligraphy…Ambrosine would have had a difficult time reading it if she didn't already know what it said. …is an only child: Lucius   
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"Thanks." Lucius said, grinning and offering her a bit of a wave before leading his band off to find another person to sign his parchment. As he left, some of the boys that were following him muttered unintelligible things and Ambrosine sighed with immense relief. Lucius seemed nice, he was nice to her yesterday. She couldn't help but wonder what brought on this sudden change in personality, however, or at least what she perceived as a sudden change in personality. Yesterday he'd seemed to be a bit of a loner such as herself, and today he had already assumed a gang of Slytherin boys. Oh well, she wouldn't think on it. It wouldn't really matter either way, right? Even though those other boys made her really nervous…  
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After that, Ambrosine had momentarily forgotten why she'd walked over this way in the first place…to get Sirius to sign her paper. Their group didn't seem so far away now…and they were, in truth, standing only a yard or so away from where Ambrosine was standing.   
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Alright, deep breaths. Take a few steps forward, and you'll be fine. In, out, in, out, one, two, three…  
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And with that, Ambrosine took a step forward.   
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"A Sly on Gryff territory?" Came the voice of a highly accented Northern boy who walked up to Ambrosine, handing her his parchment straight away. His brown hair seemed to generally stick to his head, though not completely.   
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"Sign my paper, will ya? And I'll let y'stick 'round for a few more minutes."   
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Ambrosine nodded and signed his parchment, handing it back to him. She knew he was only joking around good-naturedly with her, either that or he was simply mocking her…though the latter was more likely, she was hoping for the prior.  
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"…W-would you sign my parchment, please?"  
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"Wow, no need for all of the formalities, please, thank you, Miss Slytherin." He said, using his own knee as a hard surface to scrawl his name lightly onto her sheet of paper.   
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"Thanks."  
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"You're lucky I didn't poke a hole in it, I've done that with everyone else's this period, eh Sirius?"  
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Ambrosine glanced at him briefly.   
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"Yeah, you poked a hole in mine, Pat, you daft sod…" Sirius said, smirking, laughing to himself and shaking his head in the manner that he seemed to have about him. His attractively messy hair swayed as he did this, though just slightly, and his hair wasn't dreadfully long, either. His bangs, however, definitely were, and Ambrosine was scarcely able to see his chocolate-colored eyes behind them. This way that he had to him was not a scolding one… instead on the verge of joking, but in a very suave manner that gave off the vibe that no matter what Sirius did, he'd still be considered 'in', 'hip.'  
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"Sign my paper, will you?" Sirius said absently, yawning and handing Ambrosine his sheet of parchment.   
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Ambrosine nodded, swallowing nervously as she shakily wrote her name on the line for the first category.  
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"…C-c-could…" She took a deep breath. "Couldyoupleasesignmine?"  
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Sirius shrugged, snatched her parchment from her, scribbled his name upon it, and handed it back to her.  
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"Oy, this class is so long…d'you know when this period ends, James?"  
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"Before lunch." So answered a boy with circular glasses and dark brown hair, which, as he covertly glanced to the side, he fluffed up, making it appear messy. Ambrosine thought that maybe he should try using more hair conditioner, then his hair might have more body and not slowly drop down to looking almost as flat as Pat's hair did. Of course, it only took the boy known as James' hair a few seconds before returning to its usual flat self. He didn't appear to be giving up on this any time soon, though, since again he ruffled his hair so that it would gain more body. Did he want to look more 'rugged', Ambrosine wondered? She didn't know. He seemed to care more about his hair than she did about hers.   
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"I know that much, James…" Sirius said, sighing and shaking his head.  
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"There shouldn't be that much time left…I mean, the class is only half over, isn't it?" Patrick chimed in.   
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"I don't know, that's why I was asking."  
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"Well, maybe if we confirm what you do know before you ask to find out what you don't know to make it what you know, we'll actually find out what you don't know instead of repeating what you do know."  
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James sighed, chuckling.   
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"You know, Pat, I don't know what you just said."  
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"Neither do I."  
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"And neither do I, so we can all agree on something."  
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Ambrosine glanced from boy to boy, and, figuring that this was as good of a time as any to but into their conversation and perhaps add a new signature to her meager collection, she spoke.   
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"Excuse me, if it's not too much trouble…would you please sign my parchment?" The question was addressed to James.  
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James shrugged and took her paper, scribbling his name onto it in much the same manner that Sirius had, before giving it back to her.   
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"Thank you."   
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Ambrosine looked over at James' paper to see if he needed anyone else to sign his, and he hadn't. His paper was full, and by the looks of it, it had been that way for quite a bit, given the way he was just sitting around leisurely.  
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With that, the boys continued conversing about what they did know and what they didn't know, and Ambrosine took that as her cue to leave them to their own devices. Walking away from the group of Gryffindor boys (the girls had migrated by the time Ambrosine had arrived, thankfully) , Ambrosine glanced down at her parchment to see where it had been signed and where it had not. Wow…this was a much easier assignment than she had initially thought! All she needed was two more signatures. Only two more, and the class would be over in about forty minutes. Maybe then she could read some of her textbooks or write or scribble some bizarre drawing on a spare sheet of parchment.  
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Who to ask, though? At the present time the group of Gryffindor boys whom she'd just consulted was deep in conversation with one another. The three whom she'd talked to for a few moments was only part of the group, the other half had been too busy with their own things to pay any attention to her. And she thought that she'd preferred it that way…the other boys intimidated her. With Sirius and James, at least she'd remembered their names from the sorting ceremony, and even 'Pat' seemed very familiar. The others must have been called later on, as not many of them stuck out in her mind as being memorable from the day before. She hadn't paid much attention during the latter half of the sorting, she had to admit. Lucius' group of Slytherin boys was now hanging around the door of the classroom. They'd seemingly also finished asking around for signatures, and were now waiting for the bell to ring so that they could stampede down the hallways for a tasty luncheon meal. Most of the boys in the group seemed a lot taller than Lucius, a lot more gruff and heavy. There was one or two exceptions, it seemed, but never mind. Narcissa's little quartet of Slytherin girls was lurking not too far from Lucius', and unless Ambrosine's eyes were playing tricks on her, Narcissa and her friends were certainly paying Lucius and his gang more attention than they would have liked to make obvious. It was, however, very obvious to Ambrosine, an observer from afar. Lily's little group was making avid conversation with Professor Bell, and Severus, not at all to Ambrosine's surprise, was still sitting on his own. The group of squealing Gryffindor girls that had until recently been hanging around with the boys of that same house had taken to sitting in a circle. There were only, to Ambrosine's delight, two others that were sitting on their own. Both of which, however…were Gryffindors.  
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. . . . f i n 


End file.
